127.0.0.1 – Where to Start

Where to start… Well, I guess this place is as good as any… I passed my CCIE in Security (lucky number CCIE number 2.5) on December 10th, 2019 and it still hasn’t really set in yet.  I actually can’t believe it.  After all of the hours spent, all the personal things that ended up getting put on hold, all the slamming of my keyboard and mouse, the yelling, the nightmares of encryption mismatches, the second guessing of myself and throughout the sacrifices, I was able to complete the CCIE Security Track (V5), the second time around.  It takes a serious amount of will, dedication, self discipline and time management to stick to your plan and execute it properly.  In-case you missed the other post, here is my super well thought out plan on a napkin (pictured below). Here is the “other” other post for the study plan that I followed…

So what’s the testing experience like?  Since this was my second lab attempt, at my third CCIE track, and it was the fourth time I was sitting for a CCIE Lab, I was pretty “aware of the situation” and basically knew what to expect logistically, and (somewhat) technically.  Also, non technical items such as, knowing when to leave the hotel for the exam center, heading to CVS the day before to get some waters and snacks to have during the lab, and also to dress comfortably were all already off of my mind.  Basically leaving me just to focus on “did I lab enough?” and “am I just wasting these few days?” and “am I going to fail this again?” and all of those other super encouraging thoughts that you either consciously or sub-consciously tell yourself. 

As I was walking down the hallway half-listening to our proctor telling us about where the water and coffee/break area as well as the bathrooms were located in the Richardson, TX lab site; I heard that old familiar voice of the borderline creepiest if not “the most-creepiest” (yes, I’m making my own words up as I go) engineer’s voices that I’ve worked with say “You are juuuuust faaaane” in my head.  The original iteration of the previously highlighted phrase was directed at one of my previous co-workers, who happens to still be considered part of my family to this day. The Ghost, I still love ya brother. That phrase was way too epic to forget or pass up saying it, as it popped in my head walking down that hall.  That phrase has become part of my everyday vocabulary.  This particular phrase will continue to show up on this site, especially as we dive deeper down the rabbit hole of my professional and personal experiences. 

So why start this blog now (again)? I figured that now is as good a time as any to continue writing and sharing.  I always tell both everyone that I mentor, and those I work with, while I was looking for Networking, Server and Advanced Infrastructure resources while I was fumbling my way through learning it all, “I didn’t have a ‘me’… so maybe I can help you along.”  Maybe it’s one quick reference point from me that starts your full understanding of a technology.  Or maybe you’re labbing an advanced topic and just need a different approach.  I have seen quite a bit of change in life as a whole the past few years, and I felt that I needed to start giving back to the community that has been great to me. I truly believe that spreading knowledge is the only way to both “cure” professional insecurities, and tear down the silos within the workplace to yield a better equipped engineer, admin or tech at their place of work. Also it’s way cooler to break down the “black box” of networking to people to help them understand it.

So what can you expect from this site?  Well, I can guarantee you that you will scratch your head at times.  You’ll probably learn a little bit and laugh a little.  Everyone who knows me personally says I have a very unique way of not only thinking, evaluating stuff as a whole and delivering a story {an aspiring Griot to those that know me best} .  And who knows.. Maybe you’ll learn something new.  Or even better, reinforce something that you are 90% positive about. 

Here is my disclaimer, I am still a human, so every now and then you may find that your results vary or you may not see eye to eye with how I go about doing a certain task or approach a technology, and that’s “just FAAAANE” (See what I did there? Referencing the phrase from before?). Anyways, just because I think a certain way, solve a specific problem a certain way or approach a design a certain way doesn’t mean that it is the only way to do it.  That’s why we have google duck duck go, and Vendor Documentation, and all the text books that I keep buying and people think I’m nuts for doing when I already have a safari/o’riley online subscription.  Anyway, I hope you enjoy your visit to the site.  I’m looking forward to writing about all of my experiences, study routines and other tech stuff that interests me. 

Stark Out.